House Passes EPA Spending Bill

Overshadowed by the GMO labeling bill, the U.S. House of Representative’s last Thursday also passed a spending bill for the Environmental Protection Agency. All 12 appropriation bills in Congress face a rather uncertain future, however, as lawmakers are now on summer recess and few working days remain amid election-year politics.

Further, Politico reports the fiscal 2017 Interior-Environment appropriations bill, which includes EPA funding, faces a White House Veto threat. The bill would require the EPA to better take state interests into account when creating water quality standards. It also limits reporting requirements in the EPA’s new pesticide worker protections.

The bill also prohibits raising fees on grazing and reduces grazing permit backlogs. House lawmakers passed the spending bill by a 231-196 vote.